STUDY ABROAD

ABOUT MINNESOTA AND KUMAMOTO FASHION

BY

Miho Chiwata
A SHORT PAPER
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE OF
SUMMER STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM (US)
Kumamoto Gakuen University Foreign Language Department
English Course

SUPERVISOR: Miho ChiwataKumamoto Gakuen UniversityOe 2-5-1 KumamotoJapan
October 21, 2008
This paper consists of 1161 words





1. Introduction　
There are many kinds of fashion in Japan. They are trendy and fashionable and individual. Many Japanese people, especially girls, like to read fashion magazines and go shopping.
In America, there are many kinds of fashions, too. Are American girls interested in fashion? I researched about it.
To answer, I went to several different shopping areas in Minnesota and read American fashion magazines. Also I asked Bethel students or my host family some questions, and used graphs to indicate the results which will be discussed in section 2 and in section 3.

2. In Kumamoto 　
Kumamoto has some local magazines; for example, “No” and “Tankuma” and so on. There are many things written in magazines about Kumamoto. In Japan, slim, beautiful girls appear in fashion magazines. They are leading Japanese girls to fashion. It seems that this is one strategy used to sell expensive clothing, and one reason why Japanese girls are absorbed in fashion. It is good for girls to read fashion magazines, because they can be fashionable and they can show their own individuality. Also they can become more beautiful, because the fashion magazines sometimes insert articles about good ways to diet or how to make up and so on.
Also many fashion stores are introduced in these magazines. When college students go to school, they dress up, and wear make up. Most Japanese girls like to go shopping and they are interested in fashion. They are especially interested in fashion outside of Japan. They observe Paris and Reahna and so on in magazines.
Table 1 below shows the results of a questionnaire given to KGU students in Kumamoto. According to the results, in Japan they read fashion magazines, and it seems that they don’t want to be considered unfashionable. Also the research said that most Japanese people are interested in fashion very much. It is an important point to know the way they think about Japanese fashion. Looking at question 6, it says that most Japanese people think fashion is fun and shows individuality. Both of them are positive attributes of fashion. On the other hand only 3 people thought that fashion was a bother or expensive. As a result, we can see through these answers that Japanese people (32 out of 35) are generally addicted to fashion.

Questions
Number of people

1. How interested in are
you in fashion?
Very much
23 (61%)
So-so
9(25%)
A little
2(5%)
Not at all
1(2%)
2. Are you conscious
about what you wear?
Very much
14
(40%)
So-so
19
(54%)
A little
2
(5%)
Not at all
0
(0%)
3. What kind of clothes
do you like best?
Dresses
5(14%)
Slacks
3(8%)
Jeans 10(28%)
T-shirts
13(37%)

Tops
5(14%)

Skirts
5(14%)
Others
Jackets
Blouses

4. What colors do you
tend to wear most?
Deep colors
13(37%)
Primary colors
2(5%)
Muted colors
3(8%)
Patterns
1(2%)

Pastels
6(17%)

Others
Blue
White

Bright co
-lors
9(25%)

Table 1. Results of Japanese students (age 19 to 21)

5. Do you read
fashion magazines?
Very much
9(25%)
So- so
17(48%)
A little
7(20%)
Not at all
2(5%)
6. what do you think of
fashion?
It’s fun
25(71%)
show
Individu
-ality
7(20%)
It’s expensive
2(5%)
It’s a
Bother
1(2%)

3. In the US[1]
According to 6 Bethel college student girls, when they go to college they wear clothing that is easy moving, but when they go out to dinner, shopping or the theater, they dress up and put on make up. Recently skinny jeans and baggy pants and high-waist jeans are popular among young people in America, and when they feel cold, they sometimes put on scarves.
I wanted to find local fashion magazines in Minnesota, but there were no local magazines about fashion. It seems that Minnesotans are not so much interested in fashion.
As above, Table 2 shows answers by Minnesotans about fashion. The research said that they are not so interested in fashion, because 8 people answered that fashion is a little interesting and 5 said not at all. Even so for question 2, they indicated they are not so interested in fashion, but they are conscious about what they wear. They like jeans, maybe because they are easy moving, and they are comfortable. One person answered that he (she) wore light clothes so that he (she) would not get too hot. Surprisingly, they seldom read fashion magazines. They seem not to spend much money to buy clothing. Also, 8 out of 25 people think that fashion is expensive. One person said that fashion is something pushed on people so they will spend money, which is a unique and thought provoking opinion.
People in Minnesota seemed not to buy expensive clothing, but they spent money on other things, for example going driving, going out to dinner, traveling, buying a jet-ski and fishing gears; in other words, on their own hobbies. Minnesotans like to go outside, because they seem to enjoy hiking, and sports. Therefore they wear clothing that is easy to move or walk in.


Questions
Number of people

1. How interested in are
you in fashion?
Very much
4(21%)
So-so
2(1%)
A little
8(42%)
Not at all
5(26%)
2. Are you conscious
about what you wear?
Very much
7(35%)
So-so
6(30%)
A little
6(30%)
Not at all
1(5%)
3. What kind of clothes
do you like best?
Dresses
2

Slacks
8

Jeans
14

T-shirts
7
Others
Button- up
Shirts
Second hand store

Tops
7

Skirts
3
4. What colors do you
tend to wear most?
Deep colors
4
Primary colors
3
Muted colors
5
Patterns
0
Pastels
1
Others
Blue
Kahki
Black
Bright co
-lors
5
Table 2. Responses of Minnesotans (age 18 to 50)
5. Do you read
fashion magazines?
Very much
1(5%)
So- so
1(5%)
A little
4(20%)
Not at all
14(70%)
6. what do you think of
fashion?
It’s fun
5(25%)
It’s expensive 8(40%)
It show
individu
-ality
5(25%)
It’s a
bother
5(25%)


7. Conclusion　
From the above, we see that Japanese people are interested in fashion. There are many kinds of fashion magazines in Japan, and they read them. It seems that they are influenced by fashion magazines, and they may be happy to dress up and make up. Fashion has continued from a long time in Japan, with changing popularity. It seems to be Japanese culture, because Japanese people like fashion without generation differences.
On the other hand, American people are not so interested in fashion. They buy cheaper clothes, but they are original and cute. They make a point of wearing clothes that are easy to move in. Also when they go to college or just go to the grocery store to buy something, they do not make up or dress up, but when they go to dinner, birthday parties or hung out with friends, they make up and dress up. It is American culture.
American people are natural, active and healthy. Japanese people are fashionable and conscious about health. Both of them have good points.

8. Bibliography

American fashion retrieved from http://www.anyfashions.com/
NET ViVi retrieved from http://www.joseishi.net/vivi/
アメリカの女の子のファッション(American girls fashion) retrieved from http://ameblo.jp/megunokokoro/entry-10125666344.html
ファッション通販（fashion walker）retrieved from http://gw.tv/fw/

9. Questionnaire
1. How interested in are you in fashion?
Very much So-so A little Not at all
2. Are you conscious about what you wear?
Very much So-so A little Not at all
3. What kind of clothes do you like best?
Dresses Slacks Jeans T-shirts Tops Skirts Others
4. What colors do you tend to wear most?
Deep colors Primary Muted colors Patterns Pastels Bright colors Others
5. Do you read fashion magazines?
Very much So-so A little Not at all
6. What do you think of fashion?
It’s fun Show individuality It’s expensive It’s a bother

1362 words
[1] I had not known so much about American fashion until I went to Minnesota. When I went to Minnesota, and I saw American college students in Minnesota generally wear T-shirts, jeans and sandals. I was surprised at that thing, because in Japan we dress up and wear make up.